Women working together in communities can make change
happen.
With each program, Women's Community Revitalization Project engages and
organizes low-income women and their families to advocate for change and
to build their leadership skills.
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP
COMMUNITY GREENING
LEADERSHIP THROUGH ADVOCACY &
ORGANIZING
CASE STUDY
TAKE ACTION
MAP
PUBLICATION
DEVELOPING
LEADERSHIP
WCRP knows that the lives of low-income
women are dramatically changed by opportunities for leadership. At every
turn we include low-income women and their families in WCRP's decision-making:
• Serving on our Board of Directors and Committees
• Fighting for more resources and policies that work for low-income
families and their communities
• Spearheading efforts to build housing and improve neighborhoods
We take necessary steps to ensure that everyone who wants to can participate
in WCRP meetings, political actionsand neighborhood events. To maximize
participation of families, we provide on-site childcare, transportation,
food, Spanish-English translation, and accomidations for people with disabilities.
COMMUNITY GREENING
WCRP engages women and their families in turning
abandoned, vacant lots into gardens, neighborhood parks, and playgrounds.
Through our Community Greening program, neighbors lead the effort of converting
community eyesores into assets. These green spaces improve public safety,
build community and raise property values. With resident leadership and
involvement, we ensure that green spaces respond to community needs and
that they are maintained for years to come.
LEADERSHIP THROUGH ADVOCACY
& ORGANIZING
When public policies don’t meet the
needs of low-income women, we work to change the system. WCRP engages
our families, neighbors and other community members in fights for better
welfare policies, funding for childcare, resources to address community
safety, and more funding for affordable housing.
Nobody understands the need for affordable
housing better than the women and families who live in our communities.
WCRP encourages low-income women to use their power as citizens to change
the policies that hold them back. While building community leadership,
we also founded the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition to strengthen
our voice to fight for what’s right. This coalition unites us with
other community organizations to change city housing policies so that
every Philadelphia family will be able to afford decent housing.
CASE STUDY
Accountability and The Affordable Housing Crisis
One out of four families in Philadelphia cannot
afford decent housing. The majority of this group is low-income women,
many of whom are working in jobs that simply don’t pay enough to
make ends meet:
• One out of three households live on less
than $20,000 a year.
• Over 100,000 poor households in Philadelphia spend more than 50%
of their monthly income on housing.
• Tens of thousands of households are doubled or tripled up, or their
homes have fallen into disrepair.
Through the Philadelphia Affordable Housing Coalition, WCRP has organized
hundreds of low-income families to present these hard facts and state
our demands to local politicians. The Coalition claimed victory when a
key City Council member committed to resolve the desperate housing crisis
in his district through specific actions.
TAKE ACTION
Volunteers at WCRP have real responsibility –
they make our work possible, and they change the lives of women every
day. You can:
1. Join one of WCRP's committees.
2. Participate in our campaign for affordable housing.
3. Support our work by making a donation to increase resources for low-income
families.
